SUPPORT MEDIA

Which Denstone® Media Do I Need?

Saint-Gobain NorPro has developed several technologies over the years

All Support Media needs are not the same, and we know it

We can give you more peace-of-mind, giving the best fit for your application

Saint-Gobain NorPro understands that each process puts different demands on its support media. With each reactor in your facility having its unique needs, why use a generic support media? Wouldn’t it be better to have a support media designed with your application in mind?

At Saint-Gobain NorPro, we have developed several support media technologies, designed to fit a range of applications while at the same time providing you with added security of performance in more demanding environments. Whether it be protection against rapid depressurization with Denstone® 2000, reduced pressure drop and elimination of small spheres <13mm with Denstone® deltaP®, or protection from silica leaching in steam applications with our low silica Denstone® 99, Saint-Gobain NorPro has the right media for your reactor. Our global products, supported by regional manufacturing in the United States, Germany, and China, allow you to choose the best media no matter where you are and gain the peace of mind of using a reliable support media developed with your process in mind.

Through decades of serving refining, natural gas processing, and other chemical processing industries, Saint-Gobain NorPro has developed an understanding of the support media loading needed in many standard applications. The table below shows the recommended media for many processes that use Denstone® support media. If you would like more information on the right Denstone media for your specific application, please visit the Contact Us page and tell us more about your process.

A typical dryer will often use a 1.5 mm (1/16 in.) extrudate molecular sieve bead or pellet. A 10 cm (4 in.) depth of 3 mm (1/8 in.) Denstone® spheres are placed directly under the molecular sieve to avoid adsorbent migration. Layers of larger Denstone® sizes are then used to support the 3 mm spheres with reduced pressure drop. Alternatively, Denstone® deltaP® P1 media can be used as the top layer with Denstone® deltaP® P2 media replacing the remaining sphere sizes. A layer of larger Denstone spheres is used as bed topping to prevent localized flow impingement on the adsorbent bed.

Hydrocracker Reactor

In typical petroleum processes using a 3 mm (1/8 in.) diameter, extrudate catalyst, the catalyst can be placed directly on top of 6 mm (1/4 in.) Denstone® spheres, followed by layers of 13 mm (1/2 in.) and 19 mm (3/4 in.).

We recommend Denstone® 2000 spheres for Hydrocracker units to provide security in case of rapid depressurization.

These petroleum processes can use catalyst as small as 1.3 mm (1/20 in.) in diameter, and a top layer of 3 mm (1/8 in.) Denstone® spheres or Denstone® deltaP® P1 is recommended directly below the catalyst. A layer of larger Denstone® spheres is used as bed topping to prevent localized flow impingement on the adsorbent bed due to the inlet gas velocity.

Upflow Reactor

When it is necessary to prevent catalyst bed fluidization, spheres are graded in reverse order on top of the bed. The support media size depends upon the size of the catalyst. To provide sufficient mass to prevent fluidization, at least 22.9 cm (9 in.) of Denstone® support media are installed atop the bed.

DENSTONE PRESSURE DROP ESTIMATOR

Pressure drop is an important measure in performance of catalyst bed support media. Saint-Gobain NorPro makes it easier for you to determine the pressure drop for your particular application. The estimator allows you to calculate the pressure drop over your Denstone® media bed based on your reactor conditions. We will even show you how Denstone® deltaP® compares with standard spheres to help you choose the best media for your reactor.